After
Lasella Hall accepted his scholarship at a recent La Salle University
African American Alumni Association function, he turned to the
audience, ready to give his prepared speech. Looking around,
though, he couldn’t help but realize one face missing
in the crowd.

“When
I received the scholarship, I felt lonely because the one
person who took me so far wasn’t there,” Hall
said. He put aside the speech and spoke from his heart about
his best friend, his grandmother, who lives in Omaha.

“She
raised me, so she’s more like my mother than my grandmother,”
Hall said. “Every award I ever receive will be in her
name.”

Hall
received the Warren E. Smith, M.D. Scholarship, named after
one of the first African American graduates of La Salle. Dr.
Smith went on to become a psychiatrist and worked as a counselor
at the University. Each year the African American Alumni Association
presents an award named for Dr. Smith to a African-American
alumnus who has made a positive contribution to society. The
Association also presents a President’s Award and a
scholarship to an undergraduate.

“LaSalla
Hall was the easiest selection of the year,” said Daniel
J. Tann, Esq., President of La Salle’s African American
Alumni Association. “Since relocating to Philadelphia,
he has been involved in just about everything on campus, from
being a student senator, treasurer of the African American
Student League, volunteer at local high schools, and the promoter
of the "Brother to Brother Round Table" -- a discussion
group where African American male alumni interface with current
male African American students. When he accepted the scholarship,
his feelings were so genuine that he shed a tear or two and
mentioned the love and respect for his grandmother.”

Hall
is a sophomore History major with minors in Business Management
and the newly offered Leadership and Global Understanding.
He plans on moving back home to attend law school upon graduation.
“I absolutely love Philadelphia. It’s a good place
and a hardworking community,” said Hall, “but
being away from my family has taken its toll. I want to have
the option of driving home for the weekend.”

A
native of Omaha, Nebraska, Hall heard about La Salle University
from a high school teacher. “Father Robert Tillman said
that he thought La Salle would be a nice fit for me. I visited
during my senior year and I thought so, too,” said Hall.

“I’m
busier than I’d like to be, but you get out what you
put in,” he says. “These are four years I will
never get back. I heard a quote once, ‘the only things
you regret are the things you never tried.”

Hall
also sings with La Salle’s gospel choir, and works in
the English Department office.

Since
he is a minor in Leadership and Global Understanding, Hall
traveled to Barcelona, Spain with his class last spring. This
year he will go to Istanbul, Turkey to view firsthand the
Muslim world. “I don’t do things that I don’t
think will benefit me or the community,” said Hall.
“I’m always hoping a positive result will come
out.”